Guidelines and Manuals for the Preparation of non-Annex I National Reports and International Consultation
and Analysis

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National Communications (NCs)

Biennial Update Reports (BURs)

Guidelines for the preparation of initial NCs from non-Annex I Parties were adopted at COP 2 in 1996.
COP 5 in 1999 initiated a review of the guidelines, and with major contributions by the CGE COP 8 in
2002 adopted the following revised guidelines:

The toolkit aims to assist non-Annex I Parties in establishing and maintaining the most suitable
national institutional arrangements to meet the enhanced reporting requirements for NCs and BURs, in
terms of the quality of the content and the frequency of submission.

Handbook on MRV for developing countries, User Manual and Resource guide for NCs

The handbook on MRV for developing countries, developed by the secretariat, aims to provide experts,
practitioners and other stakeholders on the ground with a clear overview of concepts, elements and
requirements of the MRV framework for developing country Parties under the Convention.

In response to a request by SBI 18, the secretariat prepared a user manual to facilitate the use of
the guidelines to the Convention annexed to decision 17/CP.8, and
also a Resource Guide for preparing the NCs of non-Annex I Parties.

In accordance with Article 4, paragraph 1 and Article 12, paragraph 1, each Party shall communicate to the
Conference of the Parties, through the secretariat, the following elements of information:

(a) A national inventory of anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of all greenhouse gases
not controlled by the Montreal Protocol, to the extent its capacities permit, using comparable methodologies
to be promoted and agreed upon by the Conference of the Parties.

(b) A general description of steps taken or envisaged by the Party to implement the Convention.

(c) Any other information the Party considers relevant to the achievement of the objective of the Convention
and suitable for inclusion in its communication, including, if feasible, material relevant for calculations
of global emission trends.

Guidelines for the preparation of initial NCs from non-Annex I Parties were adopted at COP 2 in Geneva in
1996. COP 5 (Bonn, 1999) initiated a process of reviewing the guidelines, with the aim of improving them and
established a Consultative Group of Experts on National Communications from non-Annex I Parties (CGE) in order to
improve the process of preparation of NCs by non-Annex I Parties. The CGE made major contributions to the
review of the guidelines. At COP 8 (New Delhi, 2002) Parties adopted revised guidelines ( decision 17/CP.8).

2. BURs

COP 17 adopted the guidelines for the preparation of BURs from non-Annex I Parties contained in annex III of
decision 2/CP.17, and also decided the following:

(a) That non-Annex I Parties, consistent with their capabilities and the level of support provided for
reporting, should submit their first BUR by December 2014; the least developed country Parties and small island
developing States may submit BURs at their discretion;

(b) That in using the Guidelines, non-Annex I Parties should take into account their development priorities,
objectives, capacities and national circumstances;

(c) That the Guidelines should be used as a basis to provide guidance to an operating entity of the financial
mechanism for funding the preparation of biennial update reports from non-Annex I Parties and, in the case of
the first BUR, to the Global Environment Facility;

(d) To urge non-Annex I Parties to submit their requests to the Global Environment Facility for support, in a
timely manner;

(e) That enhanced support for the preparation of BURs should be ensured by developed country Parties and other
developed Parties included in Annex II to the Convention by means of resources, in accordance with Article 4,
paragraph 3, of the Convention, on the basis of agreed full-cost funding;

(f) That non-Annex I Parties shall submit a BUR every two years, either as a summary of parts of their NC in
the year in which the NC is submitted or as a stand-alone update report; the least developed country Parties
and small island developing States may submit BURs at their discretion;

(g) That the first BUR submitted by non-Annex I Parties shall cover, at a minimum, the inventory for the
calendar year no more than four years prior to the date of the submission, or more recent years if information
is available, and that subsequent BURs shall cover a calendar year that does not precede the submission date by
more than four years;

(h) That these guidelines should be reviewed and revised as appropriate, in accordance with decisions of the
Conference of the Parties

3. International Consultation and Analysis (ICA)

COP17 also adopted the modalities and guidelines for ICA contained in annex IV of decision 2/CP.17, and decided
the following:

(a) That the first rounds of ICA will be conducted for developing country Parties, commencing within six months
of the submission of the first round of BURs by developing country Parties;

(b) That the frequency of participation in subsequent rounds of ICA by developing country Parties, based on
their respective capabilities and national circumstances, and special flexibility for small island developing
States and the least developed country Parties, will be determined by the frequency of the submission of
BURs;

(c) To revise the modalities and guidelines prescribed herein based on experiences gained in the first round of
ICA, no later than 2017;

(d) That small island developing States and the least developed country Parties may undergo ICA as a group of
Parties at their discretion.

4. GEF operational procedures for the expedited financing of preparation of NCs and BURs from non-Annex I
Parties

The GEF has prepared operational procedures for the expedited financing of NCs from non-Annex I Parties to
assist eligible countries to formulate and submit proposals based on COP 8 guidelines. Under these operational
procedures, up to US$405,000 is made available to each non-Annex I Party for the preparation of its NC. The GEF
also provides an additional US$15,000 per country for stocktaking exercise and stakeholder consultations in
preparation of the project proposals.

The GEF prepared policy guidelines for the financing of BURs for Parties not included in Annex I to the
Convention (GEF Guideline). As per these policy guidelines, non-Annex I Parties can, for the preparation of
their BURs, access up to US$352,000 through a GEF Agency or via direct access.
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5. COP 19 adopted the composition, modalities and procedures of the team of technical experts referred to in
decision 2/CP.17, annex IV, paragraph 1:

By decision 20/CP.19, the COP requested the following:

(a) Parties to nominate technical experts with the relevant qualifications to the UNFCCC roster of
experts;

(b) The secretariat to maintain and update the UNFCCC roster of experts;

(c) The Consultative Group of Experts on National Communications from Parties not included in Annex I to the
Convention to develop and organize appropriate training programmes for nominated technical experts taking into
account annexes III and IV to decision 2/CP.17, based on the most up-to-date training materials of the
Consultative Group of Experts on National Communications from Parties not included in Annex I to the
Convention, with a view to improving the technical analysis, taking into account the difficulties encountered
by Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention in the preparation of their BURs.
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Toolkit for non-Annex I Parties on establishing and maintaining institutional arrangements for preparing NCs
and BURs:

The toolkit aims to assist non-Annex I Parties in establishing and maintaining the most suitable national
institutional arrangements to meet the enhanced reporting requirements for their NCs and BURs, in terms of the
quality of the content and the frequency of submission.
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User Manual (Updated 3 August 2004)

In response to a request by SBI 18 (Bonn, 2003), the secretariat prepared a user manual to facilitate the use
of the guidelines to the Convention annexed to decision pdf-icon 17/CP.8. The user manual, launched at COP 9
(Milan 2003), is designed for use by Parties and national experts responsible for the preparation of the
various sections of NCs, and also by national climate change teams or committees that facilitate the
coordination, organization and management of various tasks and activities. It might also be useful for
multilateral and bilateral programmes that support the preparation of NCs from non-Annex I Parties.

Contents and Feedback

For submission of national reports from non-Annex I Parties, please e-mail the secretariat:nai_nc@unfccc.int. The details on the submission process
will be communicated through this email.